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"He [Vince Lombardi Jr.] distills the substance of the famous coach's utterances and his living example into lessons that anyone can use to become a better leader and better person...What It Takes To Be #1 is a goof read. And it may inspire you to start a process of self-discovery that could enrich your life and make you more effective at whatever you do." (Fort Worth Star-Telegram 2001-04-06)

From the Back Cover

"Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing."­­Vince Lombardi

Legendary coach Vince Lombardi­­loved by some, feared by others, but respected by all­­was first and foremost a winner. His unparalleled ability to inspire greatness and mold disparate groups of individuals into dominating championship teams made Lombardi an icon both on and off the playing field. For decades, writers have attempted to capture Lombardi's compelling model of success. Until now, however, the man and his methods have remained a fascinating enigma.

In What It Takes to Be #1, the only person who could truly understand Vince Lombardi's unrelenting passion for winning­­his son, Vince Lombardi Jr.­­reveals the bedrock principles behind his father's legendary methods. Closely examining the leadership insights of Coach Vince Lombardi through the words of his most famous speech, Vince Jr. explores the fundamental leadership qualities­­character, mental toughness, and integrity­­that Lombardi considered essential for success. He then shows how to skillfully apply those qualities, and inspire others to achieve extraordinary results.

What It Takes to Be #1 is the first personal, yet decidedly practical, exploration of Vince Lombardi's all-or-nothing approach to winning. For all business leaders, or those who aspire to leadership, it provides a blueprint for achieving Lombardi-like success in virtually any endeavor.

"I would say that the quality of each man's life is the full measure of that man's personal commitment to excellence and to victory­­whether it be football, whether it be business, whether it be politics or government or what have you."­­Vince Lombardi

Leadership is one of the most sought-after, written-about and trained-for qualities in business today. And no figure so fully embodies the leadership qualities managers hope to cultivate in their professional and personal lives as the legendary Vince Lombardi, widely considered one of the greatest coaches of the modern football era.

As coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1959 to 1967, Coach Lombardi turned a perennial loser into a juggernaut, winning NFL titles in 1961, 1962, and 1965 in addition to Super Bowls I and II in 1966 and 1967. His uncanny ability to motivate his players, his extraordinary capacity to inspire them to test and exceed the limits of their physical and mental endurance, and his insatiable drive to succeed made him the standard against which all NFL coaches are measured.

In What It Takes to Be #1, Vince Lombardi, Jr. explores his father's successful leadership philosophy and extracts powerful lessons from it about what it takes to be an effective leader. These are lessons he learned from his close relationship with his father and refined through his many years of experience in the business world.

Taking as his jumping-off point his father's memorable 1970 speech on the critical importance of self-knowledge, character, and integrity, Vince Jr. examines each of those qualities, in turn, and offers clear guidelines on how to cultivate and apply the Lombardi leadership model both at work and in your personal life.

And, throughout What it Takes to Be #1, Vince Jr. shares inspiring personal anecdotes about the great man in action, both on the football field and off. He also reproduces many poignant quotes by and about his father, invoking the voice of Lombardi, and instilling readers with the invaluable leadership principles they need to succeed in today¿s ever-changing workplace.

Great leaders aren't born; they're made. What it Takes to Be #1 arms everyone who aspires to become a leader with powerful lessons they can put into practice immediately and will continue to resonate and grow in their hearts and minds for many years to come.

Most helpful customer reviews

I highly recommend this book if you are interested in any aspect of management or leadership or if you are looking for ways to refine your character and increase your personal and interpersonal effectiveness.Vince Lombardi is arguably the greatest professional football coach of all time. His 10 year coaching record was 105 wins, 35 losses, and 6 ties. His legendary Green Bay Packers played in 6 World Championship games and won 5, including the first two Super Bowls, and his post-season record of 9 wins and 1 loss is unmatched. Today, the name "Lombardi" conjures up many images in the minds of those who knew the man, knew of the man, or have heard the many myths and legends about the man. Who better to tell and analyze Vince Lombardi's story than his son, Vince Jr.?This book not only presents a balanced view of Vince Lombardi the man and coach, it also gives readers the "Lombardi Leadership Model" (self-knowledge + character + integrity = leadership) and other useful tools and insights for introspection and personal leadership development. Besides being a great biographical account of a very complex, often misunderstood, and highly successful leader in a public and highly competitive environment, this book is also a great guide to personal growth for any leader in today's chaotic environment and tomorrow's uncertain future.

Above the portals of Apollo's temple at Delphi one could find the words "Know Thyself". This injunction, as old as civilization, is the departure point for this thoughtful volume. Vince Lombardi Jr. has penned a gem of a book, a labor of love based upon the philosophies and actions of his famous father. It's about winning - through knowing yourself, building excellent character, and living with integrity. Vincent T. Lombardi is an icon. Living in Green Bay, I am reminded daily of his legacy. But this isn't just another rehashing of the Packer "glory days". Vince Jr. has applied his father's winning strategies to life, to leadership, to motivation, to building teamwork and developing winning organizations. On a personal level, the reader can apply the principles laid out in this book to developing a winning attitude, to asking the right questions to making better life decisions, to developing better focus and discipline, and to discovering your life's passion and jumping into it with enthusiasm. This is a fantastic book for students, for those trying to earn leadership positions, for successful business people looking to enhance the performance of their company, or for any intelligent person trying to improve their life and find their true way. My favorite thought from this book is "Chase perfection and settle for excellence along the way." Vince Lombardi's book will definitely get you chasing perfection, and make you want to RUN TO WIN!

To be honest,as a Hong Kong student, I didn't know who is Vince Lombardi before. Now, I am not only knowing how great he was as a football coach and I can learn something from his leadership model.First of all, the author (Vince's son) uses lots of qutoation. Well, I am so impressed. This is because using Vince own word is much more easy to understand him and his model. Also, his word is very powerful such as " Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing" and " To master ourselves before we attempt to master others." These words inspire me a lot and I can always remember his philosophy.Besides, I agree the idea of "Master Ourselves" and " Master Others". This concept is very close to Chinese thought. We have to behave ourselves, then we are able to lead others and affect others.Thirdly, this book talks about self-knowlegde in the first part. Ususally , the book would stop after telling the importance of self-knowlegde. This book gives me more, the author teaches us several ways to know ourselves.However, I am so disappointed to the summary because it doesn't included the most critical points of being a leader and what is leadership.

In this book, Vince Lombardi, Jr., masterfully connects the leadership principles of his father with the leadership demands of the 21st century. Vince, Jr. demonstrates his unique qualification to piece together core leadership qualities of Coach Lombardi in a coherent, engaging and personable style. I had always heard about the many speechs Vince Lombardi gave toward the end of his life. Vince Jr. brings "The Speech" to life through his personal and expert analysis. Although the book contains great leadership principles and theory, it goes beyond being a text book on leadership. "What it Takes To Be #1" offers personal reflections from Coach Lombardi and those who knew him best, particularly his son, on what it means to be a leader. As the director of a leadership institute for a 6,000 employee organization, I look forward to using many of Lombardi's principles in our organizational development program. I particularly appreciate Lombardi's emphasis on self-discovery and self-knowledge, the building blocks of character and integrity. In Lombardi's own words, these elements "provide the foundation of leadership." Who better to reconnect today's 21st century leaders with a legend from decades ago? Vince Jr. achieves that connection in this book. No one should be surprised: this book is a winner!